Protein-Packed Grain Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was going to post another, more salad-y recipe this week, but honestly, this is a week for cookies. No matter which side you’re on, it’s been a rough week to be an American, and I can only hope that the hatred in the air right now is the last of it – that we’ll move forward more compassionate and understanding of where each other are coming from. If you are reading this, I’d love to ask you to help bring a little love back into the world. I’ve been smiling at strangers, making conversation with cab drivers, helping people carry bags and open doors. We’re all people, at the end of the day. I think the more we can remind ourselves that, the better everyone will feel, and the better the world will be.

Okay. I’ve had about enough of politics for right now – let’s talk about cookies, shall we?

These cookies are basically magic. They don’t take any special ingredients to make, and they take seconds to stir together. They are what I consider to be the perfect chocolate chip texture, crispy on the edges and soft and chewy on the inside. And because they’re absolutely packed with protein, they actually fill you up rather than spiking and crashing your blood sugar. Honestly, while they taste 100% like dessert (I mean 100% – I know in the health food world we play around with labels for foods, saying things like “healthy brownies” when really it’s just a date blended with some cacao powder), you could eat this instead of a protein bar for a mid-day or post-workout pick-me-up. It’d likely be healthier than a packaged choice.

You can use cacao nibs or chocolate chips in this recipe. Cacao nibs, the raw form of the cacao bean, would provide more antioxidants and make it a lower sugar choice, while chocolate chips are super easy to find, and, of course, delicious. While they’re good for a few days at room temperature, the texture is definitely best the day that they’re cooked. Because the batter takes so little effort to make, I’ll often whip up a half bath after work and (with my husband, of course) eat the whole thing.

Super Easy Grain Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup nut butter of choice (I love using a half a cup of cashew butter and half a cup of almond butter, but both work well on their own and other types work great as well!)

2 eggs, preferably pastured

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup coconut sugar

1/4 tsp sea salt, plus more to sprinkle on top if desired

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup of cacao nibs or chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Stir together nut butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined. In a separate bowl, mix together the coconut sugar, sea salt and baking soda; then add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir thoroughly. Mix in the cacao nibs or chocolate chips. Spoon teaspoon sized amounts onto a parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving 4 – 5 inches between each cookie to accommodate spreading, and sprinkle with sea salt if desired, before baking for 20 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and let sit on pan for 5 minutes before moving to a drying rack. Makes 18 – 22 cookies.

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Yes! Those are great – it usually means they don’t contain emulsifiers (which aren’t great for you). Just stir it up and use it! I get my nut butters at my tiny little bodega here in Brooklyn (and pay way too much for them, I’m sure 🙂